Participation Map

Question: How are states using edTPA for program approval and/or licensure?

Answer:

edTPA is intended to be used for teacher licensure and to support state and national program accreditation. edTPA provides a uniform and evidence-based process that can be used across states to confirm that aspiring teachers demonstrate their readiness for the classroom. It is an effective measure of entry-level teaching skills and readiness for the classroom regardless of the path candidates take to becoming teachers.

Question: What value does edTPA add to the current set of assessments (state assessments of basic skills, subject-matter competence, course assignments, student teaching evaluations) that teacher candidates currently need to pass for an initial license?

Answer:

edTPA is transformative for prospective teachers because the process requires candidates to actually demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to help all students learn in real classrooms. By focusing on the act of teaching, edTPA complements existing entry-level assessments that focus on basic skills or subject-matter knowledge.

Like student teaching evaluations, edTPA assesses the teaching of real students in actual classrooms. Unlike student teaching evaluations, edTPA scorer training and moderation procedures will ensure a high degree of comparability of judgments across faculty, supervisors, and institutions. The scores across the different dimensions of teaching produce a profile of teaching practice to help novices identify relative strengths and weaknesses to guide ongoing professional growth and improvement.

edTPA will provide a rich data source for studying program effectiveness. Faculty across the country have used results from the edTPA field test (formerly Teacher Performance Assessment) and similar assessment data to inform continuous program improvement, going beyond raw scores, to identify any prerequisite knowledge and skills missing from or under-emphasized in the program, as well as any skills that need stronger reinforcement across the program. It will provide valid and reliable information that states can use, along with other measures, to inform teacher-quality initiatives, issue initial teacher licenses, make accreditation decisions about programs, and plan teacher induction and in-service professional development.